The inscription of the Papers of Sir Winston Churchill to the UNESCO International Register of the Memory of the World will be celebrated tonight at the UK Memory of the World awards to be held at the Senedd in Cardiff and hosted by the First Minister of Wales.
UNESCO established the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme in 1992 as an international initiative to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions, and wilful and deliberate destruction. The programme vision is that the world’s documentary heritage belongs to all, should be fully preserved and protected for all and permanently accessible to all without hindrance. The UK Register recognises documentary heritage deemed by a panel of experts to be of outstanding significance to the UK.
The Churchill Papers collection, held at the Churchill Archives Centre joins treasures such as the UK’s Magna Carta, France’s Bayeux Tapestry and Iran’s Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh on the Memory of the World Register.
The collection contains a wealth of unique drafts, letters and papers that are not duplicated elsewhere such as; personal, public, political and literary correspondence and papers — including drafts and annotated notes for his celebrated speeches and broadcasts, correspondence with leading political, literary and social figures of the age, and papers about major events from the Boer War to the Cold War.
Sir Winston Churchill working at his desk, approx 1953, image courtesy of Churchill Archives Centre
Dr Alice Prochaska, Chair of the Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust, which owns the papers for the nation, said:
“It is a fantastic privilege and a very great pleasure to see the Sir Winston Churchill Archive inscribed at as part of the Memory of the World. This amazing documentary resource brings benefit to scholars, schools and citizens: a legacy to future generations from one of the world.”
Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, Allen Packwood OBE and the Bursar of Churchill College, Jennifer Brook will attend tonight’s ceremony to be presented with the official certificate for the inscription of the collection to the UNESCO International Register of the Memory of the World.
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Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, Allen Packwood OBE speaks to Cambridge TV about the addition of the Churchill Papers collection to the UNESCO International Memory of the World Register.
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